Best Tent Camping near Kapa‘a, HI

We have our tent set up under huge trees, next to the beach and it is gorgeous! This is tent camping at it's best. Bathrooms were well stocked and mostly clean. The other campers were quiet and respectful. We loved it. The showers are outdoors and not heated. But we swam with turtles and snorkeling was good!

This park is very well maintained. The sites are close together and each gets a picnic table. I liken these kinds of sites as outdoor motels with a tent square and table and a neighbor within 15ft. First time campers would find solace in the cleanliness and beautiful scenery. There are bathrooms and indoor showers within walking distance of all sites. The campsites are south of a well visited beach in the area. I liked this site - as it was clean, maintained and $3/person/night for non-residents. There is little light pollution - even though the airport is near. We still saw many stars and planets and explored the beach at night. The water feels great and some people were fishing. Keep in mind since the beach is well visited and easy to get to, many people have parties at the campsites and don’t quite care about campsite reservations. That being said all parties were over shortly after sundown. The biggest complaint I had was the chickens - which you will not get away from on Kauai. So bring ear plugs if you want to sleep in. The town of kapa’a is a 5 min drive north and if you really can’t stand the site - which I doubt- there’s a Hilton right up the street. visited in June - it rained at night.

LOVED a three day stay here camping on the sand and gazing out over the high bluffs to one of the best sunset views in all Hawaii. Rent a 4WD Jeep, take 80% of the air out of your tires and enjoy.

Anahola is another local spot for the homeless. Some camps are a bit overrun with folks living out of tents, cars and broken down trucks. Just North of the proper campsite is a Yoga Retreat that offers campsites for $35 a night and offers maintained showers, tentalows (little cabins and deck pads for your tents). The beach is beautiful here but the feel is a little less than comfortable when traveling with all gals. Variety of folks frequent the actual beach for day-use and it’s lovely for that. You’ll want a four-wheel drive vehicle to drive on the beach and the I paved roads throughout this park.

At night this place is pretty rowdy. we set up our tent right next to the beach but everyone else set up as far away from the bathrooms as possible. the first night I found out why, it’s super rowdy. aside from the locals, it was gorgeous and perfect.

I doubt I will ever love a campground as much as I loved staying at Anini Beach. absolutely breathtaking. the reef goes on for miles. the waves are safe for little ones, and we saw countless fish, turtles and whales in the distance. There are a few locals who caused disturbance, but it’s monitored by rangers regularly so I never felt unsafe, unlike at Salt Pond. at $3/night, ON THE BEACH Hawaii camping where the waves are not going to sweep you away.... it’s PERFECT! tree cover for shade, view of the lighthouse, chickens everywhere eating all the bugs. Outdoor showers with privacy walls and bathrooms with running water and toilets. There is an outdoor sink to wash dishes and clothing. I cried when we had to leave.

This campground features both male / female bathrooms and has two outdoor showers available. The showers are "cold", which in Hawaii, means room temperature, so after the initial shock, it actually becomes quite comfortable. I do not recall if there were picnic tables, but at the most maybe one or two. It does require a permit, but those are easy and cheap (~$3). I elected to post up under the tree section, which provided a good cover, flat ground and actually had a downed tree that I used to set up backpacking stove for coffee in the morning. There were a few small fires on the beach throughout the stay, but I don't believe it is technically legal to do so. Overall, my favorite place to stay in Kauai with the given options due to the recent storms and North Shore closures.

This is one of the most beautiful and unexpected places to see on the island of Kauai. You can camp either in a tent or there are some cabins to check out as well. This is the place to go on the island if you need to get out of the heat and humidity given that its higher up in elevation. There are countless hikes that bring you to viewpoints of either the Napali Coast or the canyon itself.

I had a reservation there for five days but only stayed one night. There is a big homeless encampment here. Lots of adults and children live here. It’s very loud, dirty. There were other campers here but everyone didn’t come out of their tents. I heard campers asking the people who lived here to not touch their things. It was also super sunny here. I wouldn’t leave anything out. I really didn’t feel safe or comfortable here. Check out Anahola or Kumu. Or even Anini instead

Camping on the beach doesn't get any better. Amazing white sand against Na Pali cliffs, we whale watched from our tent (with binoculars) The dirt road can be rough and there are not services once you get out there. We saw some surfers, but didn't swim ourselves; they say to beware of strong off shore currents. The only downside was the chickens did wake us very early. Book early for your permit if you have a specific night in mind.

I was lucky enough to go to Kauai on my honeymoon. One of the reasons we picked Kauai was because we knew there were tons of awesome hiking spots and places to camp. We went to Salt Bond Beach for 1 night and really liked it. It was very relaxing, and there were a few different hikes off the beach that we enjoyed. The campground is offered for both residence and those visiting. There are some cool areas that have covered picnic areas as well as places to BBQ. We saw so many people having BBQ's, it looked like so much fun. There are also bathrooms on site, which aren't the cleanest but at least there are bathrooms! The swimming was awesome! I really liked that there was a life guard on duty too. Some places in Kauai do not have life guards, which makes me a little nervous to swim. There were also some food trucks that were close by the beach- we had some fish tacos that were incredible!! We were told that you can literally place your tent wherever you want. There are no marked campsite spots- basically wherever you want to camp, you can camp! I thought this was pretty cool. There was actually a picnic table that was close to the water, and it almost looked like it was buried in the sand! I wouldn't recommend getting too close to the water to tent- only because the waves are crazy and you could wake up submerged in water! Overall, we really liked staying here and would recommend this place! Beautiful!

Polihale is our favorite drive in campsite on Kauai. It's far enough away that it's rarely crowded. On the weekends it's definitely a local spot for camping and surfing. You can drive your 4wd out on the sand. Or a normal vehicle can make it down the end of the long dirt road and you can walk a little ways onto the beach and set up your tent on the sand. There are bathrooms and outdoor beach showers. I don't think it's potable water though so bring your own! :) the large long beach is unbeatable and the towering mountains at the start of the Na Pali coast is spectacular!

Anini Beach Park is home to a shallow section of reef with a sand bar reaching far out to it. A great place for snorkeling, fishing and crabbing, the campsites lie under a canopy of trees protecting most tents even on the stormiest of nights. Bathrooms and a fresh water shower make this well appointed campground even better. Picnic tables are everywhere and mobile so you can adjust them on the beach camp no matter where you are. Anini is closed on Tuesdays so the are can be cleaned and tended to. You can also set up larger camps on the grass a bit further from the beach but closer to parking. Permits can be acquired at the Parks and Rec offices (one in Lihue right by the airport) or by mail-in application which must be received by Parks and Rec a minimum of a month prior to your stay.

The hike into Lonomea is not curated. Expect mudslides and overgrown foliage. And bring strong bug repellent. Take kukui trail to wiliwili and then koaie canyon trail. You will cross the stream at least 3 times (dry season) on the 4th time you may want to cross but stay toward the right and you will see a sign within 100ft showing you the correct path. There are 2 more shelters along the 4 mile path to find the final site, Lonomea. Karma driven campers/hikers have left great gifts to enjoy your time in the ultra secluded campground. If I could do it all over I would camp at wiliwili and then hike- not backpack- to lonomea. visited in June - beautiful no rain. there are wild boar so be aware and safe. kept all food trash away from tents just in case but didn’t see any signs.

Polihale State Park is the longest stretch of continuous beach on Kauai if including Barking Sands and the military zone just south. With campgrounds on the berms (under minimal treeline) and drive-on beach access, your options are pretty expansive at this large campground. We drove onto the beach each night as we had a Jeep (don’t forget you need four-wheel and 20 PSI tire pressure to effectively maneuver on deep sand). Camped right next to our car. Swam under the moon (be careful, swells and currents can be pretty big here and wave break is only about ten feet from the shore). Showers, bathrooms, day use shelters and beyond. There are tons of great private off-chutes between the road and b beach for camping but we liked sleeping close to the waves. Be sure to check tide charts when setting up so the waves don’t reach your tent. Fires are not allowed in state parks but everybody lights small fires anyways. Be sure to light up closer to the water so debris from your fire (ash and the like) wash away. We put in on our last morning here for our overnight kayak trip to Miloli’i (highly recommend that trip even if you do a day trip. Check out Na Pali Kayaks for rentals and guided tours). This was our favorite beach campsite of the trip and can be booked online through Hawaii.gov.

Polihale is everything you think of from a Hawaiian beach - without the crowds. there are many sites - some with and some without picnic tables and each with a short walk to a beach and bathroom. the bathrooms are cleaned and filled with toilet paper often and the views here are just breathtaking. It’s a 20 min drive from the town of Waimea (my favorite little town) where we got all things necessary and we felt safe leaving our stuff at the site. most of the locals come to surf all weekend and camp in order to hit the best waves. tourists are generally scared away by the rental car companies but a 4WD car will get you there no problem. the biggest problem this site has is the kiawe trees. these trees are great tinder - although fires are not technically allowed in the sites - most people lit them on the beach. these trees are brittle and the branches fall easily - not a huge deal until you step on one and realize these branches are thorns which will make it through your slippers no problem. watch your steps and clear your site well of all debris because it is more than likely that those thorns will rip up a sleeping pad or tent liner with ease. My favorite place to camp on Kauai. there are feral cats and lots of beautiful birds to look at if for some reason you get tired of the ocean waves and scenic cliffs to the north. on a really clear day you can see ni’ihau the forbidden island. the sand gets realllllly hot so be careful. I spent my day looking for tiny shells of organisms only native to this side of Kauai and Niihau and the shells make beautiful jewelry which you may find at the craft fairs in Waimea.

The beach is on the east side of Kauai, right outside of Kapaa. Its a pretty mellow beach year round, but the tide can get a little choppy in some months. There's an inclosed swimming area made by a rock wall that keeps the waves mellow and safe for kids. There is also a GINORMOUS playground right next to the beach that you can drive up to. This beach is a local favorite.

We saw sea turtles at this beach. It was ok as far as camping. Everyone is pretty close together and tourists are always walking around and close by you. I wouldn’t say it’s ideal but it’s an experience.